Sgt. Foulk, far right, is shown in this 1989 photograph in Panama with other soldiers from the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
Military folklore is full of whispered tales, the kind seasoned NCOs might share after a few beers. You know the ones – the time 2/75 got deployed to a Central American prison riot armed with nothing but axe handles, or the Panama jump where a new Sergeant panicked, unhooked his static line, and landed with his face in the plane floor, screaming “something” – perhaps “I quit, I quit!”
These stories get passed down, the details blurring with each telling. But here’s one with a clear origin: a real-life firefight straight out of The News Tribune, where a group of Rangers went toe-to-toe with drug dealers right on their home turf.
No KIA, But a Hell of a Firefight
Believe it or not, despite the chaos, no one died in Tacoma’s Ash Street shootout on September 23rd, 1989. That’s the most incredible part of this ten-minute inferno.
It wasn’t a textbook operation nor a typical daring special operations mission – no Bradley IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles), no air support, just Rangers and their kit facing down a hail of lead from a fortified drug den.
Army Rangers versus gangsters and over 300 rounds ripped through the air, leaving bullet holes like macabre decorations across houses and windows.
That day, the already rough Tacoma Hilltop neighborhood has become a warzone, a stark reminder of the battles raging within American borders.
Holding the Line: A Ranger Never Retreats
Sgt. William “Bill” Foulk, a retired Army Ranger at Fort Lewis, Washington, wanted to protect his property, which he had purchased for a low price along South Ash Street as an investment. So, he led his fellow veterans into a defensive position against the gangsters—determined to make the area safe.
Despite his own commanders advising him to get out, Foulk, true to his training, dug in. Now, living in the same house where he faced down the enemy, a weathered veteran at 52, he can’t help but grin at the irony of being the “old man on the block.”
Military folklore is full of whispered tales, the kind seasoned NCOs might share after a few beers. You know the ones – the time 2/75 got deployed to a Central American prison riot armed with nothing but axe handles, or the Panama jump where a new Sergeant panicked, unhooked his static line, and landed with his face in the plane floor, screaming “something” – perhaps “I quit, I quit!”
These stories get passed down, the details blurring with each telling. But here’s one with a clear origin: a real-life firefight straight out of The News Tribune, where a group of Rangers went toe-to-toe with drug dealers right on their home turf.
No KIA, But a Hell of a Firefight
Believe it or not, despite the chaos, no one died in Tacoma’s Ash Street shootout on September 23rd, 1989. That’s the most incredible part of this ten-minute inferno.
It wasn’t a textbook operation nor a typical daring special operations mission – no Bradley IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles), no air support, just Rangers and their kit facing down a hail of lead from a fortified drug den.
Army Rangers versus gangsters and over 300 rounds ripped through the air, leaving bullet holes like macabre decorations across houses and windows.
That day, the already rough Tacoma Hilltop neighborhood has become a warzone, a stark reminder of the battles raging within American borders.
Holding the Line: A Ranger Never Retreats
Sgt. William “Bill” Foulk, a retired Army Ranger at Fort Lewis, Washington, wanted to protect his property, which he had purchased for a low price along South Ash Street as an investment. So, he led his fellow veterans into a defensive position against the gangsters—determined to make the area safe.
Despite his own commanders advising him to get out, Foulk, true to his training, dug in. Now, living in the same house where he faced down the enemy, a weathered veteran at 52, he can’t help but grin at the irony of being the “old man on the block.”
Intel Failure: A Community Under Siege
In 1989, Ash Street was a sniper’s alley for gangs and drug deals.
Purportedly showing members of the Hilltop Crips street gang in Tacoma, Washington, 1989. (Reddit)
The epicenter of this illicit trade was a nondescript house at 2328, run by a young couple—Renae Harttlet and “Marco” Simmons, the local kingpin, according to neighbors who remember.
“We had this open drug-gang phenomenon that was occurring in Tacoma that we had never experienced before,” recalled Bob Sheehan, a then-police sergeant who worked in the Hilltop area. “We didn’t know how to respond to it. We were doing our best, but we were struggling with it.”
Meanwhile, for residents like Shirley Luckett, a then 33 and a young mother, the situation was a constant source of frustration and worry for her son’s safety.
Calls to the police went unanswered, leaving the neighborhood vulnerable. This blatant disregard for their safety exposed a critical gap in police tactics.
The traditional “over the hood, over the radio” approach, where cops only responded to blatant violence, was failing miserably.
Community policing, a new concept emphasizing collaboration with residents, was met with resistance from some veteran officers.
Police Chief Ray Fjetland pushed for reform, but old habits die hard.
How the Incident Unfolds
In 1988, fed up with rampant gang activity across the street, Foulk decided to take action.
He documented their activities, including taking pictures and license plates, and even hosted a large cookout at his house the following year on September 23rd to draw attention to the issue.
Things turned hostile when the group from across the street began harassing the cookout attendees with projectiles.
When Foulk and some fellow Rangers confronted them, the situation escalated further with threats of violence and property damage.
Believing his home and guests, including families, were in imminent danger, Foulk called his base for backup.
Around 15 Rangers arrived, joining the residents who chose to stay and defend the house.
A fierce firefight erupted, with estimates suggesting over 300 rounds exchanged.
While reports claim no injuries, Foulk maintained that some attackers were hit but taken away by their gang buddies.
“If a gang member got shot, they didn’t lay around waiting for EMS. Their gang buddies took them away. Wherever, whatever they did with them,” said Foulk in an interview with FOX 13 News in 2022.
Eventually, the police arrived, the scene was cleared, and two alleged gang members were arrested.
Thankfully, no charges were filed against Foulk or his comrades, with authorities acknowledging their actions as self-defense.
Watch the video below, posted on February 4, 2024, to learn more or hear the story from the legend himself.
Jack Murphy initially wrote and published this story in September 2013.
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